Using Breathing VideosTo Train Your Brain and Transform Your Life

These videos are really the heart of the website. It’s very useful to read through the pages of the site to understand how your brain works and how you can train it to change your life - but without an actual practice, that knowledge alone is not likely to be powerful enough to do the job.

Our intention in creating these breathing videos has been to support you in making practice an integral part of your life (or to reinforce the practice you already have).

The music, images, and guided instructions are all designed to help you focus your mind, open your heart, and anchor your attention at the calm center of your awareness. If you use them as a break once or several times during the course of your day, you will be strengthening the parts of your brain that help you to stay calm and focused, to be more effective at what you do, and to be more resilient in the face of challenging circumstances.

Basic Instructions for Using the Breathing Videos

Written Version of the Instructions

Be in a comfortable, relaxed position, and let your breathing be smooth and gentle.

Listen through headphones or earbuds.

Watch in full screen.

If you're using a laptop, you'll be more relaxed if the screen is at eye level.

Use "ocean breathing" which you can learn from the audio track below:

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Ocean Breathing

When the video is over, sit quietly for a moment with your eyes closed, breathing naturally, and notice any effects on your body, mind, and emotions.

Video Version of the Instructions

If this is your first time using one of the breathing videos, we strongly suggest you start with the 8-minute video directly below. It will guide you through all the steps we described above, and will help to make your experience of future videos much more effective.

The videos labelled "With Instructions" below only provide brief instructions to help you follow the timing of the video.

We suggest you start with a 9" breathing cycle, and when you're ready, try the 11" cycle. Once you're comfortable with the 11" cycle, you can challenge yourself to try one of the videos with a 14" cycle (see the list of links to other videos at the bottom of the page).

You Are My Sunshine

14-second Breathing CycleMusic Only

If you find the 14-second breathing cycle too difficult, we suggest you start with one of the 9" videos, build up to the 11", and then come back to the 14" cycle. You can find links to the other breathing videos below: